A couple days ago, I posted an article about autoscaling via an API. (I suggest you read that article first, as it provides some context for this discussion.) In this article, we’ll examine a site that adds tremendous value, is on complete autopilot, and gets all its content from other sites. The unfortunate thing is… it doesn’t autoscale.

Craigslist is a great resource for a number of reasons. Here are three reasons. One, everyone uses it. It’s ranked as the 10th biggest site in the US (per Alexa). Two, it’s very well organized. You start with a specific geography, browse by niche–finally, you can even search by keyword on top of that. Lastly, it’s free. Free and with no annoying ads! Man, that guy Craig is a good samaritan.

Now, for you to find customers on Craigslist, your particular niche has to be listed on Craigslist. I suppose that’s the catch.

Let’s walk through a few, different examples of how one can effectively use Craigslist to find customers. [...]